2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews: New Jersey Devils
The 2023 DailyFaceoff Fantasy Hockey Projections has projected stats for over 650 skaters and goalies.
The Fantasy Hockey Team Previews have all the projections for that team and mini-bios for all the Re-Draft and Dynasty relevant skaters and goalies. We will release the previews from September 5th through September 14th.
| Anaheim Ducks | Columbus Blue Jackets | Nashville Predators | Seattle Kraken (Sept.11) |
| Arizona Coyotes | Dallas Stars | New Jersey Devils | St. Louis Blues (Sept.11) |
| Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings | New York Islanders (Sept.9) | Tampa Bay Lightning (Sept.11) |
| Buffalo Sabres | Edmonton Oilers | New York Rangers (Sept.9) | Toronto Maple Leafs (Sept.11) |
| Calgary Flames | Florida Panthers | Ottawa Senators (Sept.10) | Vancouver Canucks (Sept.12) |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Los Angeles Kings | Philadelphia Flyers (Sept.10) | Vegas Golden Knights (Sept.12) |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Minnesota Wild | Pittsburgh Penguins (Sept.10) | Washington Capitals (Sept.12) |
| Colorado Avalanche | Montreal Canadiens | San Jose Sharks (Sept.10) | Winnipeg Jets (Sept.12) |
In addition to the Fantasy Hockey Previews, Daily Faceoff is previewing all 32 NHL teams for 2022-23, with a new in-depth breakdown dropping every weekday! Click here to find every preview in one place.
Skaters
Jack Hughes
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 73.2 | 27.1 | 36.5 | 63.6 | -7.4 | 15.6 | 5.9 | 10.1 | 16.0 | 231.8 | 11.7% | 19.6 | 108.5 | 60.7 | 55.4 |
Jack Hughes enjoyed a fantastic breakout season in 2021-22 before having it cut short in April due to an MCL sprain. He achieved career highs in goals (26), assists (30), and shots (165), all while playing the least amount of games in a season to date. His 1.14 point-per-game placed him 25th among all NHL skaters. Missing 20 percent of the games for his career, Hughes’s true fantasy potential has been capped so far. Regardless, at 21 years old, Hughes enters 2022-23 as a high upside selection who should average close to a point per game as he looks to build off a successful third season.
Jesper Bratt
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 74.9 | 22.3 | 41.1 | 63.4 | 1.1 | 15.9 | 3.2 | 12.4 | 15.7 | 186.2 | 12.0% | 17.7 | 1.4 | 31.7 | 39.3 |
One of the top fantasy free agents in 2021-22, Bratt broke out by doubling his previous career high in points. In his fifth NHL season, Bratt ranked 39th in assists (47), 48th in points (73), and 52nd in points-per-game (0.96). Bratt helped his season numbers by amassing 31 points (11 G /20 A) during a 25-game February/March stretch. Unsurprisingly, the Devils’ power-play was much more efficient when Hughes and Dougie Hamilton were in the lineup, but both missed significant time last season. If they’re healthy this season, New Jersey should improve from the No.28 ranked PP unit. That should go a long way for Bratt, who’s a fixture on the top PP unit. Increased PP production will help offset any potential regression at 5v5 and help him maintain his near point-per-game pace. With an 11th-round ADP, there’s not a lot of risk when banking on a repeat performance from Bratt.
Nico Hischier
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 71.0 | 20.5 | 33.8 | 54.3 | -3.7 | 18.0 | 4.8 | 8.5 | 13.4 | 157.6 | 13.0% | 19.1 | 719.7 | 50.9 | 52.9 |
Hischier started the 2021-22 campaign with a mediocre 24 points in his first 38 games. The emergence of Bratt seemed to be the missing link for Hischier as the centre took the fantasy and hockey world by storm with his strong second half of the season. He collected 13 goals and 23 assists (36 points) in just 32 games, a pace that translates to 92 points over an entire season. Despite the strong finish, Hischier is dropping late into fantasy drafts early on, giving him plenty of sleeper potential.
Ondrej Palat
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 80.1 | 19.2 | 33.7 | 52.9 | -3.2 | 26.9 | 4.4 | 8.0 | 12.3 | 150.2 | 12.8% | 16.8 | 2.8 | 52.4 | 128.6 |
Palat finds himself in unfamiliar waters after signing a five-year, $30 million contract with the Devils during the offseason. Fresh off his best season since 2016-17, Palat collected 18 goals on the way to 49 points with limited power-play production (6 PPP) in 2021-22. A pass-first player, Palat has only eclipsed 143 shots three times in his 10-year career. Despite occupying a spot in Tampa’s high-scoring top-6, Palat failed to score more than 49 points in the last six seasons. His fantasy potential is capped due to his low shot and goal production, as we may have already seen the best from Palat.
Yegor Sharangovich
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 78.6 | 24.4 | 23.3 | 47.7 | -6.3 | 16.8 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 6.1 | 173.1 | 14.1% | 16.9 | 77.4 | 27.6 | 32.9 |
Sharangovich proved the sophomore slump to be nothing more than a fable as he improved on his rookie numbers, scoring 24 goals with 22 assists (46 points) in 76 games. Sharangovich may not see a lot of power-play time, but he played with Hughes 67 percent of the time Hughes was in the lineup, so he should be able to maintain his impressive 5v5 scoring. Last season he was 98th in even-strength points (40), ahead of Patrice Bergeron (39), Mathew Barzal (39) and Elias Pettersson (39). Sharangovich enjoyed a solid second half of the season, collecting 16 goals and 14 assists (30 points) in his final 38 games. He likely won’t start the season on many fantasy rosters, but he could easily be in the mix at some point in 2022-23.
Dougie Hamilton
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 75.1 | 13.9 | 32.9 | 46.8 | -4.3 | 45.3 | 2.7 | 13.0 | 15.7 | 244.6 | 5.7% | 22.5 | 0.0 | 101.8 | 92.6 |
Hamilton’s first season in New Jersey was nothing short of a disaster as he posted his lowest goal (9) and point (30) totals since 2013-14. His minus-19 rating and 4.6% shooting percentage were both career worsts. Even with a down year, Hamilton ranks third in shots, fourth in goals, and 19th in points among all defensemen in the last five seasons. Hamilton enters 2022-23 fully healthy and expected to man the Devils’ top power-play unit. His early ADP (104.0) suggests that Hamilton could be a massive bargain on draft day. With elite shot volume and a talented roster around him, he could easily finish the season as a top-12 fantasy defenseman.
Dawson Mercer
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 81.0 | 18.8 | 27.5 | 46.3 | -13.4 | 29.0 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 5.7 | 161.1 | 11.7% | 17.0 | 212.1 | 37.1 | 32.4 |
Mercer finished 2021-22 seventh in rookie scoring with 42 points. He started strong with 14 points (6G / 8A) and 44 shots in his first 19 games. A slower second half (28 points in 63 GP) and a minus-25 rating made him a tough nightly plug-in. Worth a look in dynasty leagues; Mercer will look to build off a strong first season, and his overall value will be largely dependent on where he lands on the depth chart. If the soon-to-be 21-year-old ends up on Hughes’ wing, he’ll be worth a look in re-draft leagues.
Tomas Tatar
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 77.7 | 16.5 | 24.6 | 41.0 | -5.8 | 24.1 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 8.8 | 138.1 | 11.9% | 14.9 | 17.6 | 28.3 | 82.0 |
Tatar comes into 2022-23 after recording his second straight 30-point season. His 15 assists and minus-15 rating were career lows for years where he played more than 20 games. He’s averaged less than two shots per game in the last two seasons and seems to be losing his hold on a top-6 role. Tatar is no longer the fantasy producer he once was but could have bounce-back potential if he finds himself playing with the Hischier/Bratt duo or Hughes.
Damon Severson
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 81.4 | 9.0 | 29.7 | 38.8 | -7.6 | 53.6 | 3.2 | 8.2 | 11.3 | 145.9 | 6.2% | 23.2 | 0.0 | 92.1 | 91.0 |
Severson tied his previous career-high with 11 goals (t-16th among defensemen) and set a new career-best with 46 points (25th). Severson closed the year with a solid 13 points (3G /10 A) in the final 20 games. With Hamilton back to full health, Severson likely won’t see enough PP1 time to replicate his 15 PPP from a season ago. His production is probably going to slip, but there’s still enough there for him to be considered a low-end No.4/high-end No.5 fantasy defenseman to begin the season.
Goalies
Vitek Vanecek
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 44.0 | 22.4 | 16.7 | 5.4 | 0.909 | 2.82 | 3.0 |
Vanecek enters his third season in 2022-23, fresh off of his second consecutive 20-win season while starting less than 25 games. Even with a strong Capitals team in front of him, Vanecek failed to post a .910 SV% for the second consecutive season (.908% both years). His four shutouts had him tied for sixth in the league, and his 2.67 GAA had him 17th. It’s unclear how this new goaltending duo will split time, but given Mackenzie Blackwood’s durability issues, it seems likely that Vanecek will at least start a few more games. Moving from the NHL’s fourth-best defensive team in 2022 to the 14th-best could affect his splits in 2023. Vanecek is going borderline undrafted at the moment, so he’s a very low-risk No.3 fantasy option that could start a ton of games if Blackwood gets hurt again. Just look at Nico Daws a season ago; he was 12th in the NHL in games played during the time he was called up (Feb.7 to Apr.16).
Mackenzie Blackwood
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 38.0 | 18.4 | 14.9 | 4.7 | 0.904 | 2.98 | 2.3 |
Blackwood’s 2020-21 season saw him regress in almost all main fantasy categories. His alarming trend of stat regression continued for last season as he posted career-worsts in GAA (3.39) and SV% (.892). He suffered a heel injury in late January that cost him the rest of the season. Blackwood has missed 63 of a possible 138 (45.7%) games over the last two seasons due to injury or illness. He’ll battle with Vanecek for starts this season, and if he can regain his .916 SV% form from 2019 and 2020, he could recapture his status as the Devils’ No.1 goaltending option.
Remaining Devils Projections
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| Ryan Graves | D | 79.0 | 6.2 | 21.0 | 27.7 | -4.5 | 42.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 134.0 | 4.6% | 20.1 | 0.0 | 141.5 | 106.1 |
| John Marino | D | 77.3 | 3.4 | 19.9 | 23.3 | 0.5 | 20.8 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 83.5 | 4.1% | 19.8 | 0.0 | 83.4 | 73.9 |
| Erik Haula | C/LW | 73.9 | 14.2 | 19.4 | 34.0 | -2.8 | 33.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 119.8 | 11.8% | 14.8 | 410.9 | 30.3 | 95.8 |
| Andreas Johnsson | LW/RW | 73.9 | 11.8 | 18.3 | 30.0 | 1.5 | 26.5 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 112.7 | 10.5% | 14.3 | 5.3 | 25.8 | 65.2 |
| Jonas Siegenthaler | D | 70.5 | 1.6 | 12.2 | 13.9 | -2.5 | 44.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 86.1 | 1.9% | 20.6 | 0.0 | 113.1 | 95.6 |
| Brendan Smith | D | 72.3 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 12.3 | -4.5 | 69.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 81.0 | 6.8% | 14.0 | 0.1 | 58.6 | 107.6 |
| Jesper Boqvist | C | 67.9 | 11.3 | 11.7 | 23.0 | -7.2 | 13.4 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 90.9 | 12.4% | 12.9 | 161.0 | 24.2 | 48.9 |
| Nathan Bastian | RW | 73.5 | 10.0 | 8.9 | 18.9 | -4.4 | 48.0 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 3.9 | 94.2 | 10.7% | 12.0 | 22.2 | 39.6 | 207.1 |
| Michael McLeod | C | 75.3 | 7.9 | 11.7 | 19.6 | -6.9 | 48.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 79.3 | 10.0% | 13.0 | 533.6 | 30.9 | 129.8 |